The Twin Towers (professional wrestling)

The Twin Towers was the name of a heel professional wrestling tag-team that competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1988 to 1990, consisting of Akeem and The Big Bossman.^[1]

History

The Towers had before feuded with each other when the Big Bossman when known as Big Bubba Rogers and Akeem when known as the One Man Gang in the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) when Rogers defeated Gang to win the UWF World Heavyweight Championship.^[2][3][4] This happened when Skandor Akbar who was managing Gang then deviously pitted Gang against Rogers who Akbar was also managing, for the UWF championship, Rogers then defeated Gang to win the title, and after Akbar then dumped Gang and continued to manage Rogers.^[5]

Shortly after losing the UWF championship, Gang left the UWF and joined the WWF. In late 1988 when Slick was managing the One Man Gang (who had recently become Akeem "The African Dream") as well as the Big Bossman. Slick then paired up Akeem with the Bossman and billed them as the Twin Towers. The Towers would make their pay-per-view debut on November 24, 1988 as at the WWF 1988 Survivor Series captaining a team with Haku, Ted DiBiase, and The Red Rooster against a team captained by the Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage), Hercules, Koko B. Ware and Hillbilly Jim in a five against five elimination match. The Towers' team lost and Hogan and Savage were the survivors of the match, but not before both received beat downs from The Towers.^[6]

While still teaming as the Towers, Bossman and Akeem would have many single matches against Hogan and Savage. Then on a January 9, 1989 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, WWF World Heavyweight Champion Savage had a match against Akeem. When Savage delivered his diving elbow drop to Akeem and when to pin him, Bossman the came to and entered the ring and attacked Savage with his nightstick, and Akeem was disqualified. Hogan then ran down and attacked the Towers who then left the ring.^[7] On January 7, 1989 When Hogan faced Akeem on episode 19 of Saturday Night's Main Event, Bossman again interfered in the match, and then Elizabeth who was the manager of the Mega Powers came to help Hogan, who was then followed by Savage, who then cleared the ring of the Towers.^[8]

Also during January 1989 the Towers would achieve success, when they would score several wins over The Young Stallions (Paul Roma and Jim Powers). Weeks later on February 3, 1989 on episode 2 of The Main Event, the Towers had a match against the Mega Powers, who were having dissension between them. During the match, Akeem threw Savage out of the ring and who then landed on top of Savage's manager Elizabeth, knocking her unconscious. When Hogan saw what happened, he left the match and carried Elizabeth from the ring to the medical area. When he returned to the ring, he wanted to tag Savage, but Savage, who was furious with being abandoned during the match and very angry that he had to face the Towers alone, then slapped Hogan in the face, and then left Hogan the face the Towers by himself. Hogan then defeated the Towers by himself and the Mega Powers won the match.

Two months later at WrestleMania V the Towers defeated The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) after Akeem pinned Michaels following a powerbomb by the Bossman and Akeem's own Air Africa finisher. The Towers also appeared on a 1989 WWF VHS coliseum home video cassette called WWF Fan Favorites where they wrestled and defeated The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) by countout. Though the Towers were still wrestling as a team, Bossman pursued the WWF world championship and wrestled a major singles match, when he received a title shot against the new WWF champion Hulk Hogan after Hogan regained the WWF World Title from Savage at WrestleMania V, after the Mega Powers disbanded. On episode 21 of Saturday Night's Main Event, Bossman faced Hogan in a Steel Cage Match, and during the match Hogan superplexed Bossman of the top of the cage, Bossman ended up losing the match. Shortly after the Towers began a feud with the WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition (Ax and Smash) as they pursued the tag-team title. The Towers would lose every house show match they had against Demolition, some by pinfall, and some by disqualification.^[9] Even after Demolition lost the tag titles to the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), the Towers continued to feud with Demolition. The Towers teamed with André the Giant against Demolition and King Duggan at SummerSlam 1989 and somewhat surprisingly, Demolition and Duggan won the match. During this time the Twin Towers and Slick would also make an appearance on the Arsenio Hall Show.

At the 1989 Survivor Series The Towers were to team with The Honky Tonk Man and Rick Martel as a team called the Enforcers against a team called the Dream Team consisting of Dusty Rhodes, Brutus Beefcake, Tito Santana, and the Red Rooster, but the Bossman's partner Akeem but was replaced at the last moment by Bad News Brown. The Enforcers lost the match, with the Bossman the last one to be pinned by Beefcake. During this time, the Bossman was actually embroiled in a feud with Dusty Rhodes after Rhodes had stolen the Bossman's nightstick and handcuffs.^[10]

Following the conclusion of his feud with Rhodes early 1990, the Bossman became a face when "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase paid Slick to have the Bossman retrieve the Million Dollar Championship belt from Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who had stolen it. On a February 24, 1990 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, the Bossman retrieved a bag containing both the belt and Roberts' pet python, Damien. On The Brother Love Show, he refused to accept DiBiase's money for the bag, and returned it to Roberts.^[11] After that the Towers disbanded.

Breakup and aftermath

Big Bossman

After the Towers disbanded they once again feuded, Bossman wrestled and defeated Akeem at WrestleMania VI in only 1:49 despite DiBiase (who had wrestled the previous match against Jake Roberts) sneak attacking the Bossman before the bell had rung to begin the match. Bossman again defeated Akeem on April 28, 1990 on episode 26 of Saturday Night's Main Event by disqualification. Subsequently, Bossman later began teaming up with his former foe, Hulk Hogan, against many forces including being in Hogan's corner for his match against Earthquake at SummerSlam 1990, and was also on a team led by Hogan at the 1990 Survivor Series.

Akeem

After losing his feud with his former partner, Akeem dropped back down to mid-card status, and would later leave the WWF in October 1990, and in the process reverting to being the One Man Gang.^[12]

In wrestling

• Managers
  • Slick
• Signature moves
  • Body avalanche^[13]
• Theme Music
  • Jive Soul Bro (from Piledriver - The Wrestling Album 2)

External links

• Big Bossman Profile
• One Man Gang Profile
• Twin Towers OWW Profile

References